Happy (Belated) New Year!

Yes yes, I know I'm a little late to the party here, but it's only the third! I'm just a few days late. Anyway, happy new year, readers! Now that Christmas is over, I'm back to my regular posting schedule (hopefully). Christmas break made me a little bit lazy, but last week I was on vacation with my family, so I didn't have the time then. All excuses aside, I'm back now, and that's what matters.

I guess I'll start by saying my Christmas vacation was great! Actually, I officially go back to school on Tuesday, so it isn't over yet, but you get the idea. Once our break started, my family left for a house a few hours away. We stayed there and celebrated Christmas with my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins, which was really nice. It snowed a few times while we were there, as you can see from the photo (my brother took that picture, by the way). The day after Christmas, we left to drive home before the roads got too bad. The place we were staying at was a bit off the beaten path, which meant the roads didn't get plowed as often. We made it home safely though!

Click the jump to read more of my rambling!

Let's see... now about Christmas. I can proudly say that I handmade everything I gave this year, which is something I had a lot of fun doing. My cousins both gave me really unique things as well - I got a massaging pillow that vibrates when you squeeze it (it's green to match my room!) and a blue fiber-optic lamp that looks really awesome in the dark.  My aunt and uncle also gave me a Skillet shirt that I really wanted. It was one of their "Shirts of the Week," which meant it was only sold for a certain week. I'd post a photo, but I don't have any, sorry!

Moving along, my grandparents gave me some books, including This is NOT a Writing Manual by Kerri Majors and The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan. Among other things, I also received Hawk Nelson is my Friend, a CD by the band Hawk Nelson. It's a great album, which I totally recommend you check out. Some of my favorite songs from it are "Friend Like That," "Ancient History," and "Just Like Me," but all of the songs are great!

From my parents, I got some other t-shirts, including a new Legend of Zelda one and a Catching Fire one. I also got a brand new hairdryer, which may seem weird, but  I really needed it. My last one blew up. Kind of. I turned it on one day and it was making funny noises, and then all of a sudden there was a spark and it died. The new one has a retractable cord and it folds up! Also, I don't think there's any danger of it blowing up, which is good.

So that was my Christmas. Once we were home, I had a few days to unpack and get my things reorganized (I'm a little OCD so you can imagine how picky I am about organization). Then on Monday I had some friends over for the afternoon since I hadn't seen them in forever, and that was a blast.

And finally, for New Years Eve, I actually ended up going to two different parties. A different friend of mine invited me to her house, and my family was also having a party at our house! I ended up staying at my friend's house for a few hours, then going back home. I had an awesome time at both places, and it was a great way to bring in 2014.

So, now that I've told you about my holiday break, tell me about yours! What was your favorite gift that you recieved, or what did you do to celebrate the holidays? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!